MSc Psychological Research Methods

This 12-month course is designed to train you in the advanced statistical skills and latest research methods that are needed to handle and interpret large datasets documenting human behaviour, ready for clinical training, a PhD or an exciting psychological career.

Through your statistical training we’ll teach you the latest techniques including confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, multilevel modelling and generalised linear models (using R software). We'll teach you the skills you need and give you the opportunities to apply them to the area of psychology that you're interested in: from cognitive and developmental, to social and clinical psychology.

Alongside your statistical training you'll learn a broad range of research techniques from neuroimaging (EEG, fMRI), behavioural genetics, through experimental methodologies and clinical trial design, to qualitative interview, diary study methodologies and specialist methods for working with infants, children and clinical populations.

You'll also begin training in a range of skills that are important for psychologists in academia and professional roles: you'll understand ethical issues in research, learn how to write a grant proposal, and develop your presentation skills ready to take part in our annual student-led summer conference.

The Research Project with Advanced Statistics and Systematic Literature Review course components, which include coverage of meta-analysis, give you the opportunity to focus on a chosen psychological research question in detail under the supervision of one of our world-class researchers.

You can choose a supervisor from an area of psychology that matches your research interests and future career aspirations within cognitive, developmental, social or clinical psychology.

These projects give you the opportunity to put your new statistical skills and research methods knowledge into practice while addressing an issue at the cutting edge of psychological research. It's common for MSc research projects and literature reviews to form the basis of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

In addition to Psychological Research Methods with Advanced Statistics, at Sheffield we offer two other specialist masters courses in this area that allow you to specialise further and develop the skills you need for a successful career: